Francis Knippling

A memorial service will be held in remembrance of Francis Knippling at 11 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2012 at the Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home,

Princeton.

Francis Dale Knippling passed from this world on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2011 at the age of 95. He was born 9/17/16 to Frank and Carrie (House) Knippling in Elma, Iowa and moved to Princeton in 1927.

Francis was a longtime resident of Princeton and had moved to Texas with his daughter last year. He attended Michigan State University and graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1950. He was a people-person and loved to keep busy. He believed in being a “jack of all trades” and tried many different lines of work. He worked in the research department at Merck Pharmaceuticals then went on to practice in Milaca and Princeton caring for large and small animals. He owned the Villa Manor for many years and ran a real estate business. He moved around the country and worked as a USDA meat inspector in Austin, MN and in Deming, N.M., he was a professor at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama teaching parasitology, he was a quarantine inspector in Hawaii. He retired for a short time and bought a cattle ranch in Arizona. He bought a Mack truck and drove across the country. His last job was as a Walmart greeter in Kerrville, Texas, which he loved and worked at until the age of 86. He loved to travel and visit friends and family.

He is survived by his sister Dorothy Smith of Princeton; his daughter Kathi Duarte and her husband Gary of Kerrville Texas; his son Kenne Knippling of Minneapolis, daughter Timi Knippling of Spokane Wash., grandchildren Shaun, Jessica, Justo(Jason), Shantel, Toni, Jordan, Angel, Tucero, Elijah, Francis; many great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Ruth, brother Merle, sister Lucille, niece Caroline Haeg and nephew Roger Smith.